Process of coloring clay articles



Mar. 3. 1925. '1,528,401

E. L. cHAPPELL 'Pnocsss oF coLoamG CLAY ARTICLES Fi1ed May 21, 1923 ffy@31 35, Ezzjmf.0appell.

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Patented Mar. 3, 192535.

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EUGENE L. CHA'PPELL, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

PROCESS OF COLO'RNG CLAY n ARTICLES.

application sied May 21,1923. serieu No. 640,523.

To aZZ whom t muy concern:

Be it known that l, EUGENE L. CHAP- PELL, a citizen orp the UnitedStates, residing at Nashville, in the county ot Davidson, State otTennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inProcesses ot Coloring Clay Articles; and l do hereby declare thefollowing to be a tull, clear, and exact description ot the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to processes for treating clay articles, duringthe baking thereof, and particularly to processes tor coloring thearticles. A

1t is well known that 'the color` ot brick is due largely to thecharacter of the atmosphere which comes into contact therewith duringthe process ot manufacture and for this purpose the gases arising from akiln chamber under tire are usually employed but heretofore it has notbeen customary to subject the articles being cooled to the influence ofthis gas ladened atmosphere. This present invention has as its object totake advantage ot' the effect o this gas ladened atmosphere upon thearticles which have been burned and which are undergoing the process ofbeing cooled.

It is ordinarily believed that color changes do not take place inbricks, or other clay articles below the temperature ot 1300o F., butexperiments which l have made lead me to believe that color changes takeplace at a temperature as low as 900o F.

lt is with the object or" taking advantage of this tact, that l haveproduced the process forming the subject-matter of this application.

In the ordinary kiln, such as the continuous kiln, there are provided aseries ot' chambers, in one of which the articles vare being tired; inthe succeeding chambers there are placed green larticles into contactwith which the products ot combustion pass to preheat them, and in thechamber or chambers, at the other side of the firing chamber articles,which have been fired, are being cooled. rl`he atmosphere passing fromthe compartment or chambers being tired, is heavily ladened with gases,such gases being capable ot having a coloring effect on the articles,especially in the tiring and cool ing chambers. This gaserms-latmosphere ali'ects the cooling articles, `when such atmosphere comesinto contact with them, but m the ordinary kiln this atmosphere issucked or drawn through the compartments 4or chambers to the outeratmosphere. Thus the elifect of such gaseous atmosphere, on the coolingarticles is lost, or the proper effect not taken advantage of. It iswith the purpose ot passing this gaseous atmosphere in contact with thecooling articles Referring particularly to the accompany ing drawing,there are shown two parallel rows ot chambers 10 and 11, each containingnine chambers, numbered from 1 to 9', and trom 10 to 18', respectively.It will be noted that the first row is numbered from lei't to right,while the second row is numbered from right to lett, which permits acontinuous path throughout the two series or rows, chambers 1' to 9'having controllable communications 12 therebetween, while the chambers10 to`18' have controllable communications 13 therebetween. Controllablecommunications 14 are arranged between the chambers 9' and 10' and 1 and18'. Extending longitudinally of each row ot chambers, are tlues 15 and15a, these being connected atone end of the kiln, by a transverse flue.16. From the junction of the 'flue 15 with the flue 16 an exhaust flue17 extends, anu isy connected with a suction tan, (not shown), which isordinarily used to draw or suck the products of combustion 'from thechamber being tired through the series of chambers being preheated. Inthe ordinary construction the products of combustion do not pass incontact with the articles which are being cooled in the chamchambers 2'to 5', will have a coloring eiect on the articles therein. In theexhaust flue 17 which leads to the suction fan, there is placed a damper18, which, in the employment of the present process, is closed, so thatthe gaseous atmosphere is retained within the kiln.

Mounted in the flue 1521 is a pipe 19 which connects with a blower 20located in the space between said iiue 15a and the series of chambers 1to 9', the other side of the blower being connected with the chamber 2',in Figure 1. This blower, however, is adapted to be moved along so as toconnect with any one of the chambers being cooled and is preferablyconnected with a chamber which is four or five chambers to the rear ofthe one being tired. In the illustration, Figure 1, the chamber 6 isrepresented as being under lire, the chambers 2', 3', 4 and 5 beingcooled, and the chambers 7 to 10', inclusive, containing green articlesbeing preheated prior to being fired.

From the above description it wil be seen that when the damper 18 isclosed, and the blower set in motion, the draft will pass through thechambers 2 to 10'. inclusive, out of the chamber 10', to the tlue 15,thence into the line 1G, back through the flue 15a and passed throughthe blower to the chambers containing the cooling articles. yl"hus thegaseous atmosphere,` which ordinarily is thrown out to the outeil air,is retained within the kiln, and its coloring action permitted to workon the cooling articles.

Means are provided, which may be a damper or valve 21, by means or whichthe blower may introduce a quantity of atmospheric air into the gases,with the result that the coloring ei'iect of the gaseous atmosphere maybe controlled, and the color and shade of the resultant clay articlesregulated. A

It will be understood that, as the articles are preheated, and areburned, they give oli' a large amount of moisture, which passes alongwith the gases. This is, however, undesirable, as the drying of thearticles is greatly retarded thereby, because of the tact that themoisture would pass in contact with the drying articles. This isobviated by the arrangement shown in Figures 2 and 3. in this form,there is disposed a flue 22, which extends over the kiln throughout theent-ire length, while the side .tlues 28 and 28 are connected at bothends by the transverse fines o8 and 2a. The intermediate portions of thetransverse 'tiues 23 and 24 are connected with the ends ot the iiue 22by means of the vertical iiues 25 and 28, the 'former being ledoutwardly to the outside air, and being` provided with a damper 29. lnthe flue 26 the blower 8O is permanently located and is so mountedthatl'it blows the gases longitudinally through the flue 22. This flue22 is kept cool in any suitable manner, such as by air, or a surroundingwater jacket. It will be noted that this flue 22 is lower at one endthan at the other, and at the lowest point there is disposed a valve 22through which the condensation may be drawn from said flue.

In the form shown in Figures 2 and 3, which is the preferred form, itwill be assumed that articles are being tired in the chamber 1.Communication between the chambers 16, 17 and 18' and the flue 28 isclosed, while communication between the chamber 15 and said line isopen. Similarly, communication between the chambers 1, 2, 3', A', 5',and 6' are closed to the lfine 28', while the chamber 7' is incommunication therewith. In the flue 28 are arranged two dampers 81 and82, disposed at opposite sides of the vertical flue 25. As thusdescribed, the gases are drawn by the blower, from t-he chamber 1',through the chambers 2', 3', 4:', i', 6', and 7', out into the flue 28,upward through the flue 26, through the iiue 22, down the iiue 25,through the flue 28 and the flue 28, into the chaml'ier 15', passagebeyond that chamber being prevented by the damper 88. From the chamber15n the gases pass through the chambers 1G', 17' and 18', and acrossthrough the chamber 1, thus making a complete circuit through thechambers which are firing, preheating, and cooling.

lt will be Jfurther understood that any one or more of the chambers maybe tired at the same time, and that any number ot chambers may beutilized lor cooling and torpreheating. Furthermore, the blower, in oneinstance, is capable of being placed on either side of the series ofchambers, and in theY other, or preferred form, the blower is capable ofdriving the gaseous atmosphere around either side of the chambers, bythe proper manipulation of the dampers in the large lues.

From the foregoing it will be readily seen that l have produced aprocess whereby the color ot' clay articles can be readily and easilycontrolled and wherein the full Luse. of the gaseous atmosphere is takenadvantage of. lVhile I have described t-he process as used in connectionwith a continuouukiln. it will be readily understood that the procesa isapplicable to other forms of kilns, such as the tunnel continuous,chamber continuons, and semi-continuous and the like.

Attention is particularly called to the fact that the main feature ofthe present 'process consists in retaining the gaseous atmosphere withinthe kiln, and passing same over the cooling articles, whereby to produceand regulate the color of the finished product in the kiln.

A bypass flue 34 connects, at one end, with the end of the flue 28,while its other end connects with the flue 28 at a point slightly beyondthe damper 33. A similarl bypass flue 35 connects with the other end ofthe iiue 28, at one end, while its other end connects with the iue 28 ata point at the other side of the damper 33. The latter end of the lue 35is disposed at a slightly lower level than the corresponding end of theflue 34, to permit the connecting ends thereat to pass each other. Atthe end of the flue 28 where the flue 34 joins therewith there isdisposed a .damper 36, and at 37 a similar damper is arranged in theother end of the iue 28, at the point where the flue 35 joins therewithThese flues 34 and 35 are used in the event that iii-ing is being donein one of the chambers 10' to 18', the illustration in Figures 2 and 3showing the course of the gases when firing is being done in the chamber15'.

Referring particularly to Figure 2, it will be noted that there aredampers 38 and 39, located in the flue 24, at opposite sides of thelower end oi the vertical flue 26, and that these dampers should be openin the event of firing in chamber 14'. Similarly the dampcrs 36 and 37are open, so that the first permits direct communication from the flue23 to the flue 34, while closing communication to the iue 28. Thelatter` damper 37 is open to permit communication between the lues 24and 35, while closing communication between 28 and 24. The dampers 31and 33 are closed while the damper 32 is open. Observing the dottedarrows in Figure 2, it will be seen that the gases iow from the chamber14', which is being `fired, through the chambers 15', 16', 17', and 18',thence out into the flue 28, through the iue 35, flue 24, flue 26, lue22, flue 25, flue 23, flue 34, iue 28, at the far side of the damper 33,into the chamber 10', and thence through the chambers 10', 11', 12', and13', into the chamber 14' again. It will be understood that clayarticles to be preheated are in the chambers 15 to 18', while articlesbeing cooled are in the chambers 10' to 13'.

What is claimed is- 1. A process of coloring bricks and the like,consisting of passing in contact with the cooling bricks, the gasifiedatmosphere which has passed from the heating and preheating bricks.

2. A process of coloring clay articles consisting in circulating gasesfrom articles being burned into contact with articles being cooled.

3. A process of coloring clay articles consisting in passing the gasesfrom a kiln chamber containing ware being burned through a chambercontaining articles being coole 4. A process of coloring clay articlesconsisting in retaining Within the kiln the gases from burning andpreheating articles and phere into contact with the articles beingvpreheated, articles being cooled, and articles being burned.

7. A process of coloring clay articles consisting in passing the"gaseous atmosphere from the articles being heated a-nd preheated intocontact with the articles being cooled, and removing the moisture fromsuch gaseous atmosphere prior to its passage into contact with thecooling articles.

8. A process of coloring clay articles consisting in passing' thegaseous atmosphere from a burning chamber through a preheating chamberand a cooling chamber successively, and finally returning the gaseousatmosphere to the burning chamber.

9. A process of coloring clay articles consisting in passing the gaseousatmosphere from a burning chamber through a cooling chamber, and backthrough the burning chamber.

10. The process of coloring clay articles sonsisting in producingrepeated circulations of gases from a burning chamber through a coolingchamber and back to the burning chamber.

11. The process of coloring clay articles consisting in producingrepeated circulations of gases 'from a burning chamber' through apreheating chamber and through a cooling chamber, and back to theburning chamber.

12. The process or' coloring clay articles consisting in repeatedlycirculating the gases from a burning chamber through a. cooling chamberand back to the burning chamber. and introducing atmospheric oxygen tothe gases at the end of each cycle of circulation.

13. The process of coloring clay articles consisting in repeatedlycirculating the gases from a burning chamber through a preheatingchamber and a cooling chamber and back to the burning chamber, andintroducing atmospheric oxygen to the gases at the end of each cycle ofcirculation.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

EUGENE L. CHAPPELL.

Witnesses:

FRANK L. OMsLEY, ANDREW C. HULMAR.

